Xabi Alonso’s relentless Bayer Leverkusen side will look to solidify their position as title challengers as they take on Europe-chasing Borussia Monchengladbach.
Bayer Leverkusen continued their impressive form at the top end of the Bundesliga, as they secured their 11th consecutive win across all competition when they beat Mainz 05 at the BayArena in midweek, with their latest test coming against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Leverkusen’s victory over Mainz was also their tenth in 12 home games this season, while the other two have resulted in a loss and a draw.
Xabi Alonso’s men continued to maintain the pressure on Bayern Munich at the top of the table, as they came to within a point of the leaders with their win over Mainz. The Bavarians responded by thrashing Hoffenheim 5-0 and thus maintaining the four-point advantage at the summit.
Alonso will be eager to maintain their push for consecutive Bundesliga titles, only this time, they are chasing rather than being chased. Leverkusen will hope to continue their winning run when they meet rivals Borussia Monchengladbach, and their manager will demand nothing less than a win to keep up in the chase. However, they will secretly hope that Bayern Munich drop points against Wolfsburg in their early Saturday kick-off.
Visitors Borussia Monchengladbach suffered a massive blow to their European aspirations as they were soundly beaten by rivals VfL Wolfsburg. The game away from home ended in a 5-1 defeat, which allowed their opposition to climb past them in the standings.
Gladbach are still within range of getting into the European places, with only six points separating them from fourth-placed RB Leipzig, although they are currently in eleventh, meaning there are a lot of teams in between. Gerardo Seoane’s side will come into this fixture at the BayArena as clear underdogs, but they have the quality to lodge an upset of sorts if needed.
Team News & Tactics
Bayer Leverkusen
Jeaneul Belocian will miss the remainder of the season with an ACL rupture. At the same time, Amine Adli is the only other player certainly out of this clash against Borussia Monchengladbach with a calf problem. There are doubts about Victor Boniface’s participation as he suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh problem.
In any case, the Nigerian striker was not expected to start even if he had made the matchday squad for Saturday. Alonso is also expected to take a late call on the inclusion of Jonathan Tah, with the key defender suffering from a bout of illness. The centre-back will be expected to feature against Gladbach, as the manager is unlikely to make any significant changes.
Considering Jonathan Tah’s potential availability, Alonso could revert to a 4-3-3 setup and use the defender, and his partner Edmond Tapsoba in the middle. Nordi Mukiele and Piero Hincapie are preferred in the full-back roles.
Granit Xhaka is certain to start, Despite the change of shape, it is likely that Exequiel Palacios will come back into the central area. Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo are the likely wide players, while Florian Wirtz and central striker Patrik Schick complete the attacking setup for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Xhaka, Palacios; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick
Borussia Monchengladbach
Franck Honorat is Borussia Monchengladbach’s only certain absentee ahead of their visit to the BayArena. However, there are some doubts about Tim Kleindienst and Nathan Ngoumou, as well as potential doubts following complaints of knocks.
Kleindienst missed out midweek with the same problem, although he is widely expected to lead the Gladbach line against Leverkusen. Seoane is set to prefer Ko Ikatura and Nico Elvedi as his main central defenders, as he is likely to set up the team in a variation of the 4-4-2.
Julian Weigl and Rocco Reitz are the main midfielders for Monchengladbach for this clash, with Robin Hack and Kevin Stoger expected to operate in the wide roles. Kleindienst will lead the line alongside strike partner Alassane Plea upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Nicolas; Scally, Ikatura, Elvedi, Ullrich; Hack, Reitz, Weigl, Stoger; Plea, Kleindienst
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen have won their last seven matches in the Bundesliga.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won 10 of their 12 home games this season in the Bundesliga.
- Bayer Leverkusen have won eight of their last ten matches against Borussia Monchengladbach in all competitions.
- Borussia Monchengladbach have lost their last two games in the Bundesliga.
Player to Watch
Florian Wirtz
The German wizard has been picking up a form of late, and heading into a crucial part of the season, Xabi Alonso will want Florian Wirtz to hit top form much like his self last season and elevate the overall quality of Bayer Leverkusen in this important stretch of their season in the Bundesliga.
Wirtz has six goal contributions in his last five Bundesliga appearances but none in their last two, so he would not want a streak of sorts to begin. Hence, an important performance against Borussia Monchengladbach will be essential for the playmaker to provide Bayer Leverkusen with a boost of sorts in their quest for the title.
Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Monchengladbach are not in the most consistent vein of form heading into this big game at the BayArena and might face the consequence of that against Bayer Leverkusen. Gladbach have somewhat struggled against big teams, and that might be the case against Leverkusen.
The hosts have momentum on their side, and Xabi Alonso knows how to use it well when it comes to crunch games. The likelihood of the reigning champions being nearly seven points away from Bayern Munich is a likelihood, meaning Alonso will want a big victory to maintain the gap. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 3-1 home win on Saturday.
